Journal box lid



D. D. BRYANT JOURNAL BOX LID Sept. 6, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18. 1948 o. o. BRYANT JOURNAL BOX LID Sept. 6, 1949.

2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1948 Patented Sept. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOURNAL BOX LID Donald D. Bryant, Huntington, W. Va.

Application March 18, 1948, Serial No. 15,629

12 Claims. (61. 30845) This invention is a novel journal box lid, and the principal object thereof is to provide a lockseal lid which will dispense with the necessity of using coiled springs, but which will open easily, will lock itself shut, will seal the rough cast face of the opening of the journal box, will fit any standard bulk car door or any standard journal box, will be absolutely dust and moisture proof, will not vibrate, and can be more easily applied than other types of lids now in use.

The present invention is an improvement upon the lock-seal lid shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 688,723, filed August 6, 1946.

All locomotive tenders, passenger cars and freight cars in use'in railroad and other rail transportation systems have a removable journal brass or bearing in the journal box which is kept lubricated by packing or other suitable material to prevent generat on of heat or friction between the journal and bearing. Each journal box with its packing is closed on its inner end by a dustguard seal, while its outer end is closed by a journal box lid. It is necessary to form the lid so that same can be readily opened and closed for packing and journal bearing inspection at any time, and to repack or set up or readjust the packing to its proper level, and to refill the journal box with oil.

A lid. to be effic ent, should be o ened easily and should completely seal the rough cast face of the journal box around the o ening, wh ch face is not machined. Moreover. the lid should not vibrate, as this would cause undue wear on the lid, the cast face, and the hinge pn. It should. moreover, remain moisture-proof and dust-tight at all times.

The box l ds as at pre ent used do not fit properly nor t ghtly a ainst the journal box o ening the face of which has been cast but not machined, and hence do not make true contact betw en the journal box casting and the inside of the applied lid. Thus, dirt, moisture and other for-- eign material is permitted to enter the journal box between the face of the box and the lid, the foreign material contaminating the packing and oil, and causing excessive journal bearing wear.

My new and novel journal box lid is designed to eliminate the above undesirable conditions which are detrimental to equipment; also to eliminate the excessive lift or pull which is required to open the present type lids which depend upon pressure to force the lid shut, this pressure being exerted by different types of coiled springs exert- 2 ing force at the outer or inner side of the lid in an attempt to hold it shut and to make the lid fit closer to the journal box to render same dustproof. The spring pressure on some types of lids is so strong that it is difllcult and often physically impossible for a man of average strength to open the same. Each box must be opened and inspected before the train leaves its terminal, and the boxes are often not inspected because of excessive spring pressures.

When the face of the casting is rough cast or uneven the lid cannot and will not fit, regardless of said spring pressure, the lid merely riding on the highest point of the casting and not contacting the entire face. When such high point is worn, due to vibration and constant opening and closing of the box for inspection, the lid loses a part of its closing pressure and the hinge pin becomes worn, also the casting lug hole as well as the lid hinge. Thus by inherent defects, the present type lid allows dirt, abrasive, moisture, sand and other foreign elements to enter into the journal box, especially when the train is in motion. This foreign material fouls the packing and oil, causing friction between the bearing and journal and resulting in undue wear of moving parts, thus causing unnecessary expense and labor. This friction is often the cause of hot boxes, train delays, derailments, causing property loss, endangering the lives of train crews and the traveling public. In the northern section of the United States snow often covers the tops of the journal boxes and the need is then even greater for a lock-seal lid.

Bulk-cars, which carry grain, sugar, feed, and other bulk material, usually are provided with doors in their tops, as many as four or more doors being used, said doors being substant ally identical in construction to the front end of a journal box, but of larger size, the doors having h nge lugs and pins. My lock-seal lid may also be used on such doors without change except for size, to exclude dirt and moisture, to prevent vibration, and to provide other advantages similar to those above stated with respect to its application to journal boxes.

The principal objects of my present invention are to provide a journal box lid so designed that it is much lighter in weight than the present type lids; it does not use the hinge lug face to hold the lid either open or closed in the conventional positions; the hinge pin may be entered or removed from either side and locks itself in place automatically; the lid liner may be removed or replaced at any time; the pressure on the lid is inserted downwardly from a small pin when the lid is closed and pulled shut at the bottom by the roller lock handle; it will seal a journal box face so that same will be dust and moistureproof even if the lug flats are worn entirely out because of the fact that same does not utilize the hinge lug flats; the liners are preferably made of oil-resistant neoprene or the like, while the lid is made of steel and manufactured by stamping process; also a lid in which the roller lock handle is formed of spring steel.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof, to enable others familiar with the art to adopt and use the same; and will summarize in the claims the novel features of construction and novel combinations of parts for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the outer end of a standard journal box, showing my novel lid, including the frame and cover plate applied thereto, and showing the cover plate in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Filg. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the cover plate in open position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the locking means at one end of the hinge pin for the cover plate, shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged end view of the locking means shown in Fig. 5.

The drawings show my novel lid applied to av standard journal box, for illustrative purposes only, the journal box J per se forming no part of my present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the standard journal box J has a rough cast open outer end, over which opening my novel lid is attached, the opening being usually formed during the casting operation and left unfinished. The journal box J is provided with a standard hinge lug J on the top thereof above the open end in the customary manner.

Around the opening in the journal box J is a frame member I of rectangular shape or other shape conforming with the shape of the opening in the journal box J, said frame being of greater width and height than the thickness of the lip around the opening of the journal box, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 3.

At the lower end of frame I disposed at the center thereof is an inwardly and downwardly curved resilient spring tongue la (Fig. 1) extending within the lower end of the opening in the journal box J and having its free end engaging the inner lower curved wall of said box J, so as to conform to casting thi kness and any irregularities in casting form, and whereby the lower end of theframe I will be prevented from moving away from the lower portion of the opening of the box J.

- At the upper end of the frame I is a pair of resilient hinge eyes I b, preferably formed of resilient metal bent to such shape that the axes of the eyes lb are normally slightly oil'set outwardly from the axes of the bore J2 of the hinge lug J, whereby when the hinge pin 2 is passed through the eyes Ib and through the bore J2 of hinge lug J, the sheet metal eyes Ib will be deflected so as to forcibly pull the upper portion of the frame I towards and against the upper port ofthe opening in the journal box J,

the action of the eyes lb and the resilient tongue Ia thereby serving to tightly clamp the upper and lower ends of frame I against and across the opening injournal box J. v

In order that the hinge pin 2 may be entered from either side of the hinge lug J and will lock itself in place, the eyes lb of frame I are preferably split as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 4, and the outer portions Iba: are crimped inwardly to engage annular grooves 2a in the pin 2 under the portions Iba: to prevent the pin 2 from normally shifting axially of the hinge lug bore J2.

As shown, the inner face of frame I is provided with a peripheral groove Ic having inclined sides, as shown in Figs, 1 and 3, adapted to hold therein a gasket 3 of substantial thickness, preferably formed of oil-resistant neoprene or the like, adapted to contact squarely the lip around the opening of the journal box J so as to form an effective seal, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. Due to the hinges lb and the tongue la, the gasket 3' is seated firmly at all times against the lip of the opening of the journal box J, to prevent passage of dust and moisture therepast.

At the center of frame I, at the upper end thereof is an outwardly and upwardly inclined tongue Id (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), for the purpose hereinafter described. At each side of the tongue Id are outwardly rolled eyes Ie adapted to receive a hinge pin 4 for a cover plate 5.

Cover plate 5 is provided at its upper end with rolled eyes 5e (Figs. 2, 5 and 6) adapted to engage the hinge pin 4, the outer ends of the eyes 5e being of reduced width and extending beyond the ends of the pin 4, and being flanged or bent over the ends of pin 4, after the latter has been inserted in place, to hold the pin in such position. The cover plate 5, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is of substantially the same size and area as the frame I, the same having inturned flanges 5a on its top, botton and sides, and having a frame 5b on its under side of same shape but smaller than the flanges 5a, the sides of the frame 5b and the flanges 5a converging so as to hold therebetween a gasket 6 of oil-resistant neoprene, or the like, which projects beyond the flanges 5a, 5b so as to seat squarely upon the peripheral face of the frame I, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1, to prevent entrance of dust and moisture between the cover plate 5 and the same frame I. Preferably, cover plate 5 is crimped as at 52: (Fig. 2) to impart additional strength thereto, and is further crimped inwardly as at 53/ (Fig. 2) to provide an oil-drip ledge which will direct oil, which may gravitate downwardly on the inner face of cover plate 5 when in closed position, within the frame member I, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1 for return into the journal box 'J.

Across the front of cover plate 5 is a vertical strap 1 extending above and below the upper and lower edges thereof, said strap I at its upper end being bent outwardly as at Ia and flanged inwardly asat lb and adapted when the cover is raised as shown in Fig. 3 to slidably engage the top of the flange Id of the frame I to maintain the cover plate 5 in raised position shown, the flange Ib sliding over the outer end of thefiange Id when the cover is being lowered into closed position shown in Fig. 1.

The lower end of the strap I is bowed inwardly as at Ic into arcuate form and is provided with an eye Id adapted to'underlie the loweredge o!" frame .I-when' cover-plateliiaclesed, shown Fig.1, said'eye'receiving a shaft I provided with rollers 9 at each side, of-eye 1d adapted to yieldabl -engagethe under side of the lower edge of the frame I when the cover is closed to hold the lower-end of the cover tightly against the frame I, as shown in Fig. 1. The strap I below the eye Id is flanged downwardly as at 1e to form a hand grip whereby the arcuate portion 1c may, by an upward and outward pull on the handle 'le, be flexed suiliciently to release the rollers 9 from looking engagement with the under side of the [box aroundzsaid opening; meansfo'r maintaindug the frame in tightcontact with the box end;

frame I, and to permit the cover plate I to be raised into the open position shown in Fig. 3.

By the above construction, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the eyes lb of frame I and tongue in will securely hold the frame I against or in contact with the lip around the opening in the outer end of the journal box J. At the same time the gasket 6 of the cover plate will be maintained in flrm engagement with the outer peripheral face of the frame I by means of the hinge eyes 5e and the rollers 9. When, however, the handle Is i pulled outwardly to release the rollers 9, the cover plate I may be swung upwardly, thereby permitting engagement of the inturned flange lb of the strap I with the top of the outwardly and upwardly inclined flange Id of the frame I, in order that the cover plate 5 may be maintained in open position at an angle substantiall normal to the lane of the frame I, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit the journal box to be serviced without necessitating the operator holding the cover plate I in open position. The upward pull of the frame hinge eyes It will take up any wear in the pin holes which may have been caused by other loosely fltting lids.

By the above construction, a journal box lid is provided which is much lighter in weight than the present type lids; also a journal box is provided which does not use the usual hinge lug flats to hold the cover plate in either open or closed position. The hinge pin 2 may beremoved from either side and will lock itself in place automatically. The gasket 6 may be removed or replaced at any time. The pressure on the cover plate 5 is inserted downwardly from the small pin 4 when the cover plate is closed, and will be pulled shut at the bottom by the roller lock handle.

The journal box lid will seal the Journal box face so as to maintain same dust and moistureproof even if the hinge lug flats are worn entirely away, since my arrangement does not use the same hinge lug flats on the Journal box casting although the cover plate I opens and closes in the conventional manner. The gaskets 3 and 6 may be of oil-resistant neoprene or the like, while the cover may be of steel and may be manufactured readily by stamping process. The strap ll of the lock handle is preferably of spring steel.

I do not limit my invention to the exact form shown in the drawings, for obviously changes may be made therein wit n the scope of the claims.

I claim: I

1. For a, journal box or the like, having a bottom wall sloping upwardly and outwardly and terminating at an opening in the outer end thereof, said box having a hinge lug on its top carrying a hinge pin; a lock seal lid, comprising a frame hinged on said pin and having an opening therein corresponding in area with the box opening; a gasket around the inner face of the frame adapted to engage the end of the asecond .hinge jpin-tmounted on" the outerv face of the'frame adjacent the top thereof; a cover plate hinged on the second pin and adapted to overlie the frame; a second gasket around the inner face of the cover plate projecting beyond said inner face and adapted to contact the outer face of the frame; means on the lower end of the plate yieldably engaging the frame for lock ing the cover plate in tight contact with the frame when the cover is closed; and means on the cover plate and frame for holding the cover plate in open position when opened.

2. In a, device as set forth in claim 1, said frame maintaining means comprising a downwardly and inwardly inclined resilient tongue at the lower end of the frame adapted to enter the box opening and to contact the inclined bottom wall of the box adjacent the opening, to maintain the lower end of the frame in tight contact with the end of the box.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said frame maintaining means comprising hinge eyes on the frame at opposite sides of the first hinge lug and secured to the upper end of the frame by resilient metal straps, the eyes being normally offset from the frame a distance less than the actual distance of the upper end of the frame from the axis of the hinge pin, whereby the straps will be flexed when the hinge pin passes through the eyes, to forcibly draw the upper end of the frame towards the box.

4. In a devise as set forth in claim 1, said frame maintaining means comprising hinge eyes on the frame at opposite sides of the first hinge lug and secured to the upper end of the frame by resilient metal straps, the eyes being normally offset from the frame a distance less than the actual distance of the upper end of the frame from the axis of the hinge pin, whereby the straps will be flexed when the hinge pin passes through the eyes, to forcibly draw the upper end of the frame towards the box, said eyes being transversely split, and having crimped portions at one side of the split engaging underlying annular recesses in the hinge pin.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said frame having an upwardly and outwardly inclined tongue extending from its upper end; and said holding means comprising a resilient strap mounted on the cover plate in alignment with the tongue, said strap having its upper portion offset outwardly from the cover plate provided with a downwardly extending flange at its upper end spaced from the cover plate and adapted when the cover plate is raised to contact the upper face of the said tongue:

6. In a device as set forth in claim .1, said locking means comprising a resilient strap on the cover plate extending below and in rear of the lower end of the frame, said strap having an eye disposed adjacent the lower inner edge of the frame, the strap beyond the eye extending downwardly to form a resilient handle; and a roller journaled in the eye adapted to contact the back of the frame when the cover plate is closed;

'7. A lock-seal lid, comprising a-frame having hinge eyes at its uper end and having an opening therein; a gasket around the inner face of the frame, a downwardly inclined resilient tongue at the lower end of the frame; a hinge pin mounted on the outer face of the frame adjacent the top thereof; a, cover plate hinged on the said pin and adapted to overlie the frame; a second gasket around the inner face of the cover plate projectwith the frame when the ing beyond said inner face and adapted to contact the outer face of the frame; means on the lower end of the-cover plate yieldably engaging the plate in tight contact cover is closed; and means on the cover plate and frame for holding the cover plate in open position when opened.

8. In a device as set forth in claim '1, said hinge eyes being secured to the upper end of the frame by resilient metal straps.

9. In a. device as set forth in claim 8, said eyes being transversely split, and having crimped portions at one side of the split.

10. In a device as set forth in claim '7, said frame having an upwardly and outwardly inclined tongue extending from its upper end; and said holding means comprising a resilent strap mounted on the cover plate in alignment with the ton e. said strap having its upper portion offset outwardly from the cover plate and provided with a downwardly extending flange at its upper end spaced'from the cover plate and adapted when the cover plate is raised to seat upon the upper face of the said tongue.

11. In a device as set forth in claim '7, said frame having eyes on its outer face receiving the said hinge pin, and having an upwardly and outwardly inclined tongue intermediate said eyes; and said holding means comprising a resilient frame for locking the cover strap mounted on the cover plate in alignment with the tongue, said strap having its upper portion offset outwardly from the cover plate and provided with a downwardly extending flange at its upper end spaced from the cover plate and adapted when the cover plate is raised to seat upon the upper face of the said tongue.

12. In a device as set forth in claim 7, said locking means comprising a resilient strap on the cover plate extending below and in rear of the lower end of the frame, said strap having an eye disposed adjacent the lower inner edge of the frame, the strap beyond the eye extending downwardly to form a resilient handle; and a roller journaled in the eye adapted to contact the back of the frame when the cover plate is closed.

' DONALD D. BRYANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name Date 775,425 Johnson NOV. 22, 1904 1,751,079 Drumm Mar. 18, 1930 1,985,594 Barrows Dec. 25, 1934 2,281,352 Hannaford Apr. 28, 1942 

